Horford leads the Florida '04s into the NBA draft

Thursday

Jun 28, 2007 at 3:46 AM

By MIC HUBER

GAINESVILLE

They arrived at Florida talking about making history.

Roommates and best friends, the four freshmen did just that. By the time they were done, "The 0-4s," as they called themselves, had two national championships and established themselves as one of the best teams in college basketball history.

Tonight they are expected to add another chapter to their personal history book.

Al Horford, Corey Brewer and Joakim Noah are expected to be chosen in the first 10 picks of tonight's NBA draft. If those projections hold true, it will be the first time in the history of the draft that three players from one school have been selected in the top 10. Indiana came closest, with three players taken in the first 11 picks in 1976, the year the Hoosiers went unbeaten.

Taurean Green, the fourth musketeer from that 2004 Gator recruiting class, could conceivably slip into the first round. Only four schools -- Kentucky (1996), Duke (1999), North Carolina (2005) and Connecticut (2006) -- have had four players taken in the first round in the history of the draft.

There is a decent chance that the Gators could have five players, and an outside chance of six players, picked in tonight's two-round draft.

Chris Richard, the Southeastern Conference's Sixth-man of the Year award winner, has been climbing the draft boards and Lee Humphrey could go to a team looking for a 3-point shooter.

"The Gator Boys are hot," said Noah, who used that phrase repeatedly during Florida's runs through the NCAA tournament the past two seasons.

Exactly where Horford, Noah and Brewer go will be determined by what trades are made leading up to the draft, but they are hot commodities.

A number of mock drafts have Horford going to Atlanta with the third pick, right behind Kevin Durant and Greg Oden. Brewer could go as high as No. 5 to Boston and Noah has been linked to Charlotte, which has the No. 8 pick. There is a chance all three could be chosen in the top 7.

"The three kids from Florida will be drafted in the top 10. I would be shocked if that doesn't happen," said Sarasota's Dick Vitale, who serves as a basketball analyst for ESPN. "It is a great story for the program. It shows the program is one of the elite programs in college basketball."

The Gators have had 24 players taken in the 50-year history of the draft. Four of Florida's six first round picks have come during the Billy Donovan era.

Neal Walk remains the highest drafted Gator. Walk was taken by Phoenix with the second pick in the 1969 draft. That was the year that Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) was taken No.1 by Milwaukee. Mike Miller was the fifth player taken in the 2000 draft, selected by Orlando.

Also among the 24 Florida draftees is Sarasota's Andy Owens, taken in the second round by Seattle in 1970.

Noah had a chance to be the first player selected a year ago but chose to remain in school. In a much deeper draft this year, Noah could be the third Gator taken.

Scouts love Horford's NBA body and his 15-foot jump shot. They crave Brewer's athleticism, long arms and defensive abilities. They are enamored with Noah's passion and knowledge of the game.

The fact that they all meshed so well as a team has helped raise their individual stock.

"I am not saying they were the most talented. I am not saying they were flawless," Donovan said about what his players accomplished.

"But when you talk about the word 'team,' what that encompasses in terms of unselfishness, sacrifice, playing together ... they have got to go down and be considered one of the best teams ever to play."

Vitale believes that the fact that they all stayed in college an extra year contributes to their draft staus.

"With these kids, you had a chance to really evaluate, a chance to watch them under pressure on numerous occasions. So often players are drafted on potential. With these kids you could see how good they were.

"It shows why Florida was so good."

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